Background details to the Main Story

If you’ve made it here, then you want to know what we presumed for our Main Story. Here you go….

The time line of canonical events in ‘The Steward and the King’ is as follows:

Sam and Frodo defeat Sauron, Faramir and Éowyn stand on the walls and hold hands and watch (Book/Appendix).

After this, Merry goes to the Fields of Cormallen, but both Faramir and Éowyn stay behind, even though Éomer begs Éowyn to come (Book).

Faramir goes back to being Steward and is really busy and Éowyn languishes. The Book says “The Warden of the Houses was troubled, and he spoke to Faramir.” So then Faramir goes to Éowyn and tells her he loves her and she agrees to marry him and they kiss. (Book)

Aragorn returns to Minas Tirith and is crowned (Appendix/Book). Faramir, Húrin, Warden of the Keys, Éowyn and Elfhelm wait at the gates of Minas Tirith for Aragorn and his company to arrive. (Book)

 Some time shortly before Éowyn leaves, Faramir is made Prince of Ithilien and given Emyn Arnen (almost an afterthought). (Book)

Éomer and Éowyn leave Minas Tirith for Edoras. (Book/Appendix). Éowyn tells Faramir that she will return (Book). Aragorn tells Éomer that they are like brothers (Book). No mention is made of wergild for the dead Rohirrim, although Gondor has paid wergild to Rohan before, during the Stewardship of Túrin II (Appendix).

The High Elves visit Éomer and Éowyn in Edoras on the way to Arwen’s marriage to Aragorn (Appendix).

Éomer (without Éowyn) comes back to Minas Tirith to collect King Théoden for burial (Book/Appendix).

Théoden’s funeral procession sets out (Appendix).

Funeral procession reaches Edoras (Book/Appendix).

Funeral of Théoden/Coronation of Éomer (at which Aragorn, Arwen, Imrahil and Faramir are all present).  Troth-plighting of Faramir and Éowyn at the end of the funeral/coronation. (Book/Appendix)

The Hobbits leave Edoras with Aragorn, but Faramir, Éowyn, Arwen and Imrahil stay behind in Edoras. (Book/Appendix)

And then Faramir and Éowyn drop out of the book, never to be mentioned again. All we know from the Appendices is that they have a son called Elboron, and a grandson called Barahir. Barahir records the story of Aragorn and Arwen after their death. (Appendix)

So many questions are raised by the gaps in the narrative:

• What did Éomer think about his sister suddenly agreeing to marry a man he’d never met before? In fact, what did everyone think? (At least by the time of Théoden’s funeral he appears to be happy.)

• Why did Éowyn go back to Rohan before Aragorn’s marriage, and what happened when she did?

• Were the Rohirrim ever paid wergild?

• How did the visit of the High Elves to Edoras go, given that Rohirrim are canonically somewhat afraid of dwimmor?

• Were there constitutional, legal and organisational problems created by the King returning? (Harrumph!)

• What was the deal with Faramir and Éowyn’s troth-plighting ceremony? (We drew from Anglo-Saxon and later wedding laws to develop a theory).

• Was there tension in Rohan that the King’s sister had married a powerful Prince from the neighbouring country, given the special role that sister-sons had in that society?

• Who looked after Gondor while Aragorn, Arwen, Imrahil and Faramir were in Rohan for Théoden’s funeral? (After all, King, Queen, Steward and Acting Interim Steward were all out of the realm). (Double harrumph!)

• How did Éomer end up meeting Faramir’s cousin Lothíriel and marrying her?

We’ve attempted to answer all these questions (and more) in our Main Story.